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sept 6th course

Old 26th Aug 2004, 10:55
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away from home....

Hangten, was reading your first post and you mentioned about not everyone realising how lucky they are to have this job - are you speaking from experience and if so do you care to enlighten us?!?
I will enlighten you, because there is at least one on every course.
Someone who thinks they are going to breeze through the training, or that it seems to be their given right to achieve a validation.

Hang ten is right - some people never realise just how good we have it. A good job that folks don't mind getting up at silly o'clock in the morning to do.

At Swanwick, we still get nobbers coming for validation training who think that it's going to be a doddle - It's usually easy to spot them. They turn up on their first day out of the college with the brand new MGF or Civic TypeR and a massive mortgage.

Anyway - reading this thread, it seems that those of you bound for the sept 6th course are suitably excited and chuffed at getting to this stage so I wouldn't expect any of you to be categorised as above.

One last thing - although the course has changed recently, the academic side isn't really as intense as you are probably expecting. If you give yourself some time (an hour?) each evening to review what you have learned that day and then study a bit harder closer to exams, you will be fine and have plenty of time to compete for the f@t B'st@rd bar of chocolate in the Seagull pub quiz.

Good luck to the lot of you.
PS: from my original course, one left halfway through 2nd day at CATC; one was a numpty and got nowhere; one left to do some airport ops stuff; One removed self from training at APC radar and another resigned from unit. I think everyone else is a valid ATCO somwhere - NATS or otherwise.
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Old 26th Aug 2004, 14:48
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bono estente

To pick a well-known Monty Python line...
You lucky, luck bastewards
Enjoy the course and the job. But most importantly of all, don't muck it up by spending all your time down the pub/chasing the holiday makers - the decision makers at HR think you are worth the money and effort to give you the biggest opportunity of your lives.

Many of us weren't so lucky and had their hopes and dreams dashed by not spouting the right corporate garb. I'd (still) sell my granny to be in your postition, even though I was told I wasn't committed enough to the cause......(despite being in the application cycle for four years, calling HR every few weeks, visiting numerous towers (even RAF ones), writing letters & emails to controllers, posting on pprune etc etc.....

Like a lemon, still not bitter.
WF
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Old 26th Aug 2004, 15:08
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VectorLine has reminded me of a "curse" at the college......the curse of buying a new car.

Don't do it while you're there. It's a curse I tell you. It seems that just about (!) anybody that buys a new car when they get down to Bournmouth befalls bad luck. You've been warned!
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Old 26th Aug 2004, 20:14
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er..... I bought a 2nd hand clio the other week even before I got the call to go on the Sep 6th course! Hope that doesnt mean Im under the curse... you got me worried now!!
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Old 26th Aug 2004, 22:01
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er..... I bought a 2nd hand clio the other week even before I got the call to go on the Sep 6th course! Hope that doesnt mean Im under the curse... you got me worried now!!
No, you'll be fine. Only if you buy one during the course.

The curse is real, and it is absolute. Beware! I had to replace my car under insurance, and I was lucky to survive in ATC in one form or another. That's my excuse anyway.
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Old 27th Aug 2004, 08:28
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It's those buying flashy,
"I'm an air traffic controller with loadsa money and a love for adrenaline", cars that get the chop.

mps - Don't worry, I don't think you'll stand out too much in your clio (unless it's one of those faster b@stard ones!! )

good luck all

VL
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Old 27th Aug 2004, 09:10
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Mps,

I bought a car a few days before I started, so I think it only counts if you buy one while you're there!
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Old 27th Aug 2004, 09:34
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Sheesh, I just got a new one last week, glad to see I should be safe!
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Old 27th Aug 2004, 09:40
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ha ha! indeed the car curse - along the same the lines as getting a nice long rental agreement. murphy's law...

thanks to vectorline for clearing up exactly what i meant - no-one in particular.

take it easy. h10.
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Old 27th Aug 2004, 10:14
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On the subject of bad luck charms, you guys entering the college will soon realise that while we are not all a superstitious as controllers we do spend a large amount of work time trying hard to fend off bad luck and praying for good luck!!!!!

There were guys on my course who swore the had to have the same outfit down to socks and underpants on for assessments!!

But good luck to you all at bournemouth its not all that bad once you have passed!!!!
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Old 27th Aug 2004, 10:32
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So everyone should have recieved the info pack by now!

Anybody notice that it doesn't really tell you anything!!

So does anybody know the REAL format of the course we're all about to undertake (or have I missed a section in the intro pack)



Common you people at the school - Spill the beans!

TFB



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Old 27th Aug 2004, 14:09
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Well done on getting through guys, now the real fun begins.

If anyone has any questions and are in Bournemouth next week then mail me back and i'll be happy to attempt to answer them, over a beer of course!

If not, then if i'm not working, sure i'll see you at the meet and greet ( meet and greet: excuse for a piss up on a college work night! )

Good luck!

And I do know of someone who has been through 2 new sports cars (Birmingham made) while training and is now at Swanwick!
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Old 27th Aug 2004, 17:39
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But the one who turned up on day one not only in a new car but with a "personal" number plate like ATC1 - he was an absolute cert not to finish. And Lo, it came to pass....... He didn't, obviously.

On the structure of the introductory course - completely different from anything anyone prior to 200 course did, so ignore their comments. Also, changed in some detail since 200 course, in the light of experience.

Extra-curricular work - as someone wisely remarked, do as much as necessary. In that context number 200 course set a very high standard for 201 to meet. I shall look forward to seeing if you are likely to come anywhere near it in a week or so's time!
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Old 27th Aug 2004, 17:51
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bern,

Wasnt that the infamous pink Fiesta?!
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Old 27th Aug 2004, 19:04
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mps - Don't worry, I don't think you'll stand out too much in your clio (unless it's one of those faster b@stard ones!! )
Er... its a 1.2, 0 to 60 in half an hour!! But it does the trick and Im happy with it!!

Looking forward to starting now, think im going to B&B it for a week or too and hopefully end of sharing with a few on the course.
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Old 27th Aug 2004, 19:58
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Unhappy

hi guys,

Looking forward to meeting everyone on the sunday eve.

Does anyone know if we have to stay on site for the week or can we commute to/from Bournemouth?


p.s: We'll knock the socks off course 200!



All the best
James
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Old 27th Aug 2004, 21:07
  #137 (permalink)  
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The bad luck doesn't just apply to failing your training. It extends to major injuries during the traditional football game between the new course and the course ahead or falling off your mountain bike in the New Forest; getting pregnant (or married or BOTH!); coming down with an evil illness that could lead to medical recourse.............and that was just on our course
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Old 27th Aug 2004, 21:44
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Or of course having your new car damaged by running into a deer in the New Forest......
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Old 28th Aug 2004, 08:10
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Fletchers Left Boot Affirm. If my aged memory serves me right, didn't it get totalled down Matchams Lane or somewhere nearby? And didn't his gf have a matching one?

To all the other posters heading for 201, I'm impressed by the enthusiasm demonstrated so far. It bodes well.
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Old 28th Aug 2004, 18:05
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hee hee,
the many tales of bornemouth..... looking forward to it now, although i think i just heard something on the news about an incident at the airfield today. very sad.

7 days now!!!!
C
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